i adopted him 1 month half ago and he had kennel cough so i treated him for that. i havent given him shots yet. he started vomiting a half hour ago. i have not seen any diarreah. but he's still very playful. other then the vomiting i would of thought he was ok.

Ok, There are a lot of different possibilities for what may be going on with Chance. The ones that I would be considering if he were on his way in to see me are:

1. One of the things that I think of first in a young dog is that he may have a Gastrointestinal Foreign Body.

Dogs eat the strangest things - stuffing from stuffies, plastic bags, children's toys, bones, bits of towel, socks, rocks and other things. Often, these foreign bodies pass through the intestinal tract, but sometimes they do not. They may get caught in the stomach or the small intestines.

The symptoms of a GI foreign body are generally vomiting, loss of appetite, depression and dehydration.

If Chance consumed an object that is caught in the small intestines, it might explain the symptoms that you are seeing. This would be particulary true if the object were something like a ball that could bob over pylorus (outflow from the stomach) and then move away again. Thus, water could pass through but not food.

In the case of an obstruction, surgery is often needed to remove the foreign object. I will include further information about GI foreign bodies:

If I examined your pup and was concerned about a foreign body, I would probably recommend x-rays to see if a foreign object were visible. A plastic bag would not show up on x-rays. It does, however, show up very well if the dog is given some barium (a type of milkshake like drink) by mouth. Then a determination can be made about how best to get this out of the dog, or whether it might move through on its own.

2. It is possible your little dog simply has gastroenteritis from eating something he shouldn't have.

Table scraps or twigs and leaves could be the culprit! Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the stomach and intestines and can be caused by a large number of things, including sudden dietary changes.

Puppies are notorious for being curious and eating all kinds of things!

3. Another possibility is Parasites. Here is a link to information about whipworms which are notoriously hard to identify by fecal analysis, and are not killed with pyrantel pamoate (standard puppy dewormer):

4. A bacterial infection: Dogs can be affected by overgrowths of bacteria in the intestines. In an adult dog these might not be more than a nuisance, but in a pup they can be serious. The 3 most common are Campylobacter, Salmonella and E.Coli. Here is a link with more information:

Parvo is a highly contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea, often with blood, in puppies. It causes severe dehydration, and untreated often results in death. Usually, it would take a couple of days of untreated vomiting and diarrhea before the puppy died.

Puppies are routinely vaccinated for Parvo virus as part of their regular vaccines. These are usually given at 8, 12 and 16 weeks. Once fully vaccinated, there is a virtually zero chance of a dog getting Parvo virus.

Some breeds are more susceptible to Parvo - this means that they get sicker and take longer to recover than other breeds. The susceptible breeds are Rottweillers, Dobermans and Labrador Retrievers.

Now, pups with Parvo are *depressed* and have diarrhea as well as vomiting. I am relieved that Chance seems lively and does not have diarrhea. BUT do watch him very carefully for these symptoms and please have him vaccinated as soon as possible!

The botXXXXX XXXXXne is that there are a number of possibilities for what may be going on. Your vet would need to do a physical exam and possibly some diagnostic tests to figure out what the underlying problem is. I would start with a fecal sample, blood test and abdominal x-rays. It sounds like it is time to find out what is going on! Vomiting of food in puppies is always cause for concern if it happens more than once.

If he is feeling unwell at the moment, there are some things you can do at home until you can get him in to the vet:

1. WITH-HOLD FOOD for 12 hours since he has been vomiting today. This gives the intestines a chance to rest and heal.

2. When he is fasting, he can have lots of clear fluids.

So, water is fine, but also he can have pedialyte, Gatorade, apple juice diluted 50:50 with water, or chicken or beef broth diluted 50:50 with water. Give the fluids in small amounts frequently. For a dog this size that means about 2 tablespoons an hour.

It is important that you do offer these fluids that have calories in them as low blood sugar is a problem in small dogs.

For patients that I see, I recommend a mixture of 75% cooked white rice, and 25% low fat protein. For the protein you could use extra lean ground beef, boiled with the fat scooped off, or chicken breast boiled with fat scooped off or even scrambled egg cooked without fat in the microwave. Feed small frequent meals. For a dog this size, I would suggest 1 to 2 tablespoons every 3 to 4 hours.

4. After 1-2 days on the rice mix, you would gradually change your dog back to the normal dog food.

So, on day 3, give the rice mixture, but bigger meals, spaced further apart. On day 4, mix a little tiny bit of the normal food in there, and decrease the frequency so it is down to 3 meals or so. And so on.

5. Keep Chance as quiet as possible - just out to relieve himself and back in.

If Chance continues to vomit, develops blood in the stool, is lethargic or shows signs of abdominal pain, please contact a veterinarian promptly. I do think that it is time to find out what may be going on with him. My top concern would be a gastrointestinal foreign body because the food came back up so soon after eating and because he feels bright and perky despite the vomiting. Good luck with your little guy!

If this has been helpful, please "Accept" my answer and provide feedback.

If you need more information, click on reply and I will still be here to answer further questions!

The above is given for information only. Although I am a licensed veterinarian, I cannot legally prescribe medicines or diagnose your pet's condition without performing a physical exam. If you have concerns about your pet I would strongly advise contacting your regular veterinarian.

I will tell you that...the things you have to go through to be an Expert are quite rigorous.

What Customers are Saying:

It was so professional, so personally concerned (as we were) and you answered all of our questions. George and I are so happy that I found "JustAnswer" on my Google search -- you are now in my "Favorites" list! And, yes we do love our kitty - she makes our life complete!Bev & GeorgeBoca Raton, FL

It was so professional, so personally concerned (as we were) and you answered all of our questions. George and I are so happy that I found "JustAnswer" on my Google search -- you are now in my "Favorites" list! And, yes we do love our kitty - she makes our life complete!Bev & GeorgeBoca Raton, FL

This expert is wonderful. They truly know what they are talking about, and they actually care about you. They really helped put my nerves at ease. Thank you so much!!!!AlexLos Angeles, CA

Thank you for all your help. It is nice to know that this service is here for people like myself, who need answers fast and are not sure who to consult.GPHesperia, CA

I couldn't be more satisfied! This is the site I will always come to when I need a second opinion.JustinKernersville, NC

Just let me say that this encounter has been entirely professional and most helpful. I liked that I could ask additional questions and get answered in a very short turn around. EstherWoodstock, NY

Thank you so much for taking your time and knowledge to support my concerns. Not only did you answer my questions, you even took it a step further with replying with more pertinent information I needed to know. RobinElkton, Maryland

Small animal medicine and surgery - 16 years experience in BC, California and Ontario

X

Ask a Dog Veterinarian

Get a Professional Answer. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.

113 Dog Veterinarians are Online Now

Type Your Dog Veterinary Question Here...

characters left:

Disclaimer: Information in questions, answers, and other posts on this site ("Posts") comes from individual users, not JustAnswer; JustAnswer is not responsible for Posts. Posts are for general information, are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (medical, legal, veterinary, financial, etc.), or to establish a professional-client relationship. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty or representations by JustAnswer regarding the qualifications of Experts. To see what credentials have been verified by a third-party service, please click on the "Verified" symbol in some Experts' profiles. JustAnswer is not intended or designed for EMERGENCY questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals.